October 12, 2007
Illegal Alien Smuggler Gets Year In Prison
By CASEY KNAUPP

A Mexican citizen who transported 19 illegal aliens through East Texas was sentenced by a Tyler federal judge to one year in prison.

Arturo Cruz-Rojas, 33, pleaded guilty to transporting 19 illegal aliens in a Chevrolet van on March 4 from Dallas to Gregg County. He admitted to hauling Gema Martinez-Trejo and 18 others for financial gain and faced up to 10 years in prison.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis sentenced Cruz-Rojas to one year in prison and two years of supervised release. He could be deported back to Mexico after serving his sentence.

Cruz-Rojas was also indicted for being an illegal alien in Gregg County after he eluded examination and inspection by immigration officers when he entered the United States from Mexico.

According to court documents, the defendant was traveling east on Interstate 20 when he was stopped by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. DPS contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who determined Cruz-Rojas and the 19 passengers had entered the country illegally from Mexico.

According to Gregg County Jail records, the defendant was arrested for not having a driver's license and following another vehicle too closely.

Cruz-Rojas was represented by U.S. Public Defender Wayne Dickey while Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Hurst prosecuted the federal case.

http://www.tylerpaper.com/article/20071 ... /710110331